The final production NSX featured a 3-liter V6 with 270 horsepower, which provides solid sports car performance, with Honda’s strong VTEC technology shining through. NSX was the first Honda car in North America to receive the VTEC treatment.

Another Honda first for NSX was the addition of electronic throttle control, which made its debut on the platform in 1995.

With a 0-60 acceleration of only five seconds, NSX definitely has the guts to justify its price and supercar looks. NSX has a top speed of 165 mph and runs a 13.4-second ¼ mile, and coupled with its sub-3000-pound curb weight, this car is a serious performance machine.

Honda engineers researched NSX’s cockpit extensively, modeling it after the 360-degree accessibility of the F-16 fighter jet.

NSX was the first production vehicle in history to feature an all-aluminum chassis, suspension and body, and also featured an extruded aluminum frame.

Its aluminum construction saved NSX nearly 500 pounds of total weight, allowing engineers to focus more on the car’s handling and power.

With Honda achieving considerable success in racing, NSX was used by the company as a vehicle to show off some of the racing tools that could be applied to a ‘daily driver.’

Among those tools are a four-channel anti-lock braking system, titanium connecting rods in the engine to help with high-RPM acceleration, and a stiffened chassis, as per the recommendation of the late Ayrton Senna, who helped test the car as it made its way from concept to reality.

Taking inspiration from the 1972 BMW Turbo concept car, M1 – the very first car in BMW’s now-famous ‘M’ line – was first made available to the public in 1978.

The car was a joint-venture between Lamborghini and BMW with the common goal of building a production racecar in enough volume for homologation.

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, founder of Italdesign who also devised the Lotus Esprit S1, DeLorean DMC-12 and Subaru SVX among many others, M1’s design was futuristic for the times.

Lamborghini was struggling financially as M1 was in development, so BMW moved assembly to Baur, the German convertible builders in Stuttgart, which assembled each M1 by hand.

Once M1 finished production in 1981, 456 examples of the vehicle were built, with 56 of those race-only models.

Under its hood sits a 3.5-liter inline-six with fuel injection that has 277 horsepower from the factory, running 0-60 in just 5.5 seconds, no doubt aided by its smooth 5-speed ZF manual. Its engine was used in later 5, 6 and 7-series BMWs and has a top speed of 163 mph.

Weighing in at less than 3,000 pounds, M1’s performance was greatly helped by its trim figure, owing to its fiberglass construction.

In motorsports, M1 was successful, winning the FIA Group B championship in 1984 and even having its own circuit, Procar, which ran heavily-modified M1s in 1979 and 1980. This is the model featured in SHIFT.

Easily recognizable from the rear due to its mid-engine set-up – the only BMW ever built to have a mid-engine configuration – and black plastic louvers over the boot, as well as its unusual 16-inch Campagnolo alloy wheels.

At the time of its release to the public, M1 was one of the most expensive cars on the planet, priced at $53,000. Today, you won’t be able to find any M1 for that price, as recent auctions have placed their value in the six-figure range.

Designed by former Pininfarina car guru Jason Castriota, GranTurismo S maintains the modern styling that has dominated the past several Maserati models while still giving a nod to the automaker’s past.

Sporting Maserati’s classic ‘trident’ badge, GranTurismo S, which was first offered in 2008, marks a significant upgrade on the basic GranTurismo platform.

Under its long, shapely hood is a 4.7-liter V8 – a larger mill than the 4.2-liter powerplant featured in the standard GranTurismo – which pumps out an impressive 434 horsepower, 35 more than the ‘base’ variant.

When equipped with a manual transmission, GranTurismo S tears up the tarmac, running 0-60 in less than five seconds with a top speed of 183 mph, more than enough to get your blood rushing.

Apollo is constructed entirely upon a tubular chromoly frame and depending on options, weighs anywhere from 2,400-2,600 pounds.

But that’s not what anyone who owns or obsesses over the Apollo cares about.

The 4.2-liter, 40-valve, mid-mounted, 90-degree bi-turbo V8 engine is the star of the Apollo show. Gumpert has three different ‘levels’ of their vaunted mill: the ‘base’ engine has 641 horsepower, the ‘sport’ level boasts 691 ponies, and the ‘race’ Apollo has 789 pavement-eating German thoroughbreds.

On the track, Apollo burns from 0-to-60 in only 3.2 seconds, equaling the time set by the legendary McLaren F1.

Apollo is an outstanding blend of technology and raw engineering, with its drive-by-wire acceleration system, dry sump lubrication and on-board diagnostic system supplementing its prodigious power.

Gumpert claims the Apollo is so perfectly engineered that it can drive upside-down in a tunnel at around 190 mph.

McLaren MP4-12C is a complete structural change from the F1, with every inch of the car re-engineered for a more pleasurable driving experience on road or track.
Under the hood, MP4-12C is powered by a much smaller engine than F1, with its 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 being dwarfed by the F1’s 6.1-liter BMW V12.

But there’s little difference in power, with McLaren MP4-12C kicking out approximately 600 ponies from its engine, comparable to F1’s 627.

Where the new car has an advantage is in distribution of torque, with 80 per cent of MP4-12C’s grunt available at only 2,000 RPM.

McLaren MP4-12C has smoother lines than the F1, looking more like a polished performance car than a speed demon vacationing from the track on public roads.

One major change in McLaren MP4-12C’s interior is the removal of the F1’s awkward ‘1+2’ seating arrangement, as both driver and passenger will be seated next to one another in the cockpit.

McLaren has positioned the McLaren MP4-12C to compete with top-of-the-line sports cars from Italy, with the company setting its sights on the Lamborghini Gallardo and Ferrari 458 Italia.

With prices approaching $300,000, owning an McLaren MP4-12C may be out of your reach, but if you download the Exotic Racing Series for SHIFT, you can save your pennies and drive one today.

Its 4.7-liter V8 is a Ferrari-Maserati joint-venture, with Ferrari assembling the 90-degree, cross-plane, dry sump lubricated monster that kicks out 444 horsepower, running 0-60 in slightly more than four seconds. With an engine redline of 7,500 RPM and rev limiter kicking in at 7,600, this car doesn’t mess around.

The company line from Alfa Romeo is the Competizione has a top speed of about 181 mph, but independent tests have shown it can achieve higher than 190. One anonymous Alfa engineer said the company’s estimations were conservative.

Its lateral acceleration numbers are impressive as well, with the car drawing 1.02g of force, stronger than the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8.

Competizione comes with 20” tires specifically engineered for use on its chassis, with the rims being perforated in fluid molded aluminum.

As with any Alfa, you need to sit in the cockpit of the Competizione and actually feel the car around you to truly understand why people love these vehicles so much.

With only 500 ever built and sold for a cost of $175,000 each, chances are pretty slim you’re going to get your hands on one in real life, but Competizione is available in the Exotic Racing Series for SHIFT. Take it for a spin starting March 18.

Unveiled to commemorate Ferrari’s 16th Formula One Constructors’ Championship in 2008, the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M is a very limited production vehicle, with only 499 examples to be built and owners taking deliveries starting in 2009.

As a convertible version of the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, the 16M borrows most of its styling cues from its attractive and shapely sister but the comparisons end there.

Under the hood, the 16M has slightly less power than the Scuderia, with its 510-horse 4.3-liter Ferrari V8 doing the heavy lifting. It tears up the track, running from 0-60 in only 3.7 seconds with a top speed nearing 200 mph.

Despite its extra curb weight, 16M has more power than the Scuderia coupe. At around 3,200 pounds due to the peripherals involved with having a convertible top, this car is no delicate flower, but it’s very, very fast.

With its swooping yet modern lines, the 16M is a car that will be beautiful long past the end of its production cycle.

Despite its hefty weight, 16M is still more than 150 pounds lighter than the standard F430 Spider, which helps it considerably in the twisties.

As a special edition car, you’ll be hard-pressed to ever find a 16M on public roads, but if you get the Ferrari Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT, you can have one all to yourself.

When the Ferrari 599 was introduced at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, it had mighty big shoes to fill, replacing the much-ballyhooed 575M Maranello, arguably the most beautiful and fun-to-drive Ferrari ever built.

Both Pininfarina and Ferrari did their due diligence designing and engineering the 599 and it appears their hard work has paid off, with one of the most fun Ferraris ever manufactured.

Its 6-liter V12 has an aluminum head and block and is mated to a six-speed ‘F1 SuperFast’ manumatic with paddle shifters. A butter-smooth six-speed manual is also available as an alternative to the slushbox.

Slushbox or not, this car hauls – as if there was any doubt, it’s a Ferrari – with the most powerful production engine ever built by Ferrari boasting 611 (!) horsepower and 448 lb/ft. of torque, helping the 599 run 0-60 in a miniscule 3.7 seconds, making it one of the fastest production cars on the planet.

With a top speed that exceeds 205 mph – or 330 km/h – the 599 is a car that could probably excel on the track just as much as it does with mere mortals on public roads.

Apart from speed and power, there’s so much to like about the 599 and it starts just by looking at it. Pininfarina did an outstanding job of combining classic Ferrari styling with modern car looks.

With its aggressive, low-slung stance, air vents in the front fenders behind a massive prancing horse badge which only Ferrari could pull off, risks were taken in designing 599’s curves, but we can’t find a single piece of sheet metal out of place here.

You won’t be able to procure one of these for any less than the $320,000 sticker price, but if you download the Xbox 360-exclusive Ferrari Racing Series for Need for Speed SHIFT, the cost is much more reasonable, with the added convenience of not having to dip into your retirement savings to pay for insurance.